Major League Baseball gets another big weekend of action underway with 13 games on Friday night’s main slate, including six divisional games. The action starts at 7:05 p.m. ET and will continue through the two late games in Seattle and Los Angeles. It’s a jam-packed slate with some top-tier pitchers and some smash spots for offense.
As you dig through the matchups and the many options to build around, you may need to dive into the bargain bin for a value option or two to help balance out your spending. Finding the right MLB DFS value picks is key to maximizing the production of your roster across the board, since some affordable players can go off with big nights of their own.
To help you as you search through the cheap options, check out my three MLB DFS value picks in this post, who bring big upside at a small salary:
- SP Will Dion, Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins, $4,000: Dion has been very solid since joining the Nats and has earned 12.2 FPTS and 23.3 FPTS in his two previous bulk outings. At only $4,000, his strikeout potential is too high to ignore.
- 1B/OF Ryan Vilade, Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles, $3,000: Vilade has smashed lefties this season and is 4-for-4 with a homer against lefty Trevor Rogers in his career. He has averaged 12.0 FPTS over his last four games.
- SS Kaelen Culpepper, Minnesota Twins at San Diego Padres, $2,600: The Twins’ No. 2 prospect is hitting .314 in his first 10 MLB games and producing 6.2 FPTS per contest. He offers great upside at this price point.
Let’s dive in and take a closer look at these options that come with low salary, but high ceilings on Friday.
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Top MLB DFS Value Plays
SP Will Dion, Washington Nationals at Miami Marlins, $4,000
Dion doesn’t have to do much to be a great per-dollar investment on Friday night since he has such a low salary. He came to the Nationals as part of the return in the Foster Griffin trade, and Washington has gotten solid production from him early on in what’s primarily been a bulk role. He’s expected to work after opener Brad Lord ($5,200) this evening.
In four appearances for Washington, Dion has piled up nine shutout innings with nine strikeouts and just one hit allowed. He earned 12.2 FPTS in his first bulk appearance against the Reds and then posted an even more impressive 23.2 FPTS in 4 1/3 strong innings against the Mets last Saturday.
The 26-year-old lefty has had a very high strikeout rate in Triple-A and the majors this season, and that gives him a very high ceiling at only $4,000. He had 25 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings in the majors for the Guardians after and 52 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings with Columbus.
The Marlins have a lefty-heavy lineup that should be a favorable matchup for Dion, and if he continues to post good numbers, he could work his way into a larger role for the Nationals going forward. Regardless of his long-term outlook, he has a great ceiling at only $4,000 as one of Friday’s top MLB DFS value plays.
1B/OF Ryan Vilade, Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles, $3,000
Vilade has only played 72 games for the Rays this season, but he’s tied for the team lead with seven homers against lefties. He has a .281 batting average, .254 ISO, .535 slugging percentage, and a 37.9% hard hit rate on that side of his splits. He has hit four long balls in his last 18 games, while going 11-for-41 (.268) with a .384 wOBA.
Vilade has been hitting in the middle of the order against lefties, and could even slot into the cleanup spot on Friday against Trevor Rogers. Rogers will be making his second straight start against the Rays, and Vilade took him yard last week on his way to 24 FPTS in that matchup. In his career, Vilade is 4-for-4 with a homer, a double, and a triple against Rogers. Since he has averaged 12.0 FPTS over his last four games, he has enough upside and momentum to be a good bargain play with positional versatility.
SS Kaelen Culpepper, Minnesota Twins at San Diego Padres, $2,600
The Twins called up Culpepper two weeks ago, and the 23-year-old prospect made a splash with a home run in his debut on his way to 14 FPTS. He is the Twins’ No. 2 prospect and the No. 29 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and he has looked ready to contribute at the highest level since his arrival. In his first 10 games, he is 11-for-35 (.314) with a double, a home run and a 44% hard hit rate. He does have 11 strikeouts in those 10 games, but has hit safely in seven straight and is coming off a three-hit game on Wednesday that earned him 11 FPTS.
Before his promotion, Culpepper showed his upside by slashing .271/.367/.478 with 14 homers, 17 stolen bases, 46 RBI and 63 runs scored in 74 games for the St. Paul Saints in Triple-A. He has dual-threat upside and plenty of potential production as he settles into his everyday role as the Twins’ shortstop.
